• Advances in Traditional Medicine
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• v.9 no.4
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• pp.339-349
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• 2009

An attempt has been made to assess whether the dose dependent effect of benzene extract of Ocimum sanctum leaves on the morphological changes in the cauda epididymal spermatozoa and sperm parameters in male albino rats. Scanning Electron Microscope observations illustrate the disturbance in plasma membrane as well as acrosomal membrane. Most of the sperms appear morphologically abnormal in the mid region of the tail; there is formation of balloon like cytoplasmic droplet. Sperm parametric study exhibits decrease in the total sperm count, sperm motility, forward velocity and increase in the percentage of abnormal sperms in dose dependent manner on treatment benzene extract of Ocimum sanctum leaves. The results suggest that the effects may have resulted from a general disturbance in the proteins and alteration in cauda epididymal milieu probably due to androgen deficiency consequent upon antiandrogenic property of Ocimum sanctum leaves.

• Natural Product Sciences
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• v.9 no.4
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• pp.223-225
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• 2003

Ocimum sanctum, the Indian holy basil has significant abilities to scavenge highly reactive free radicals. Shade dried leaf powder of plant has extracted with water and alcohol, fractionated with different solvents. Both extracts and their fractions were found to be good scavengers of Superoxide and hydrogen peroxide. Free radical scavenging action of these compared with ascorbic acid, a known antioxidant.

• Advances in Traditional Medicine
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• v.2 no.2
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• pp.101-105
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• 2002

A battery of neuropharmacological experiments showed the hot water extract of Ocimum sanctum Linn. (Labiateae) had a depressant effect on the central nervous system (CNS), but the aqueous extract showed no effect on it. The hot water extract reduced the spontaneous locomotor activity, exploratory head dipping, propulsive locomotion and exploratory ambulation as well as prolonged the pentobarbital induced sleeping time. The depressant effect starts from 60 minutes after the drug administration and continued to 180 minutes. The drug may exert central depressant effect by interfering with the function of the cortex.

• Advances in Traditional Medicine
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• v.8 no.2
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• pp.111-124
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• 2008

In the present study, an attempt has been made to assess whether the effect of benzene extract of Ocimum sanctum leaves on the ultrastructural changes in the epithelial cells of the cauda epididymis, its subsequent recovery in the seminiferous epithelium and fertility of male albino rats. Wistar strain male albino rats were orally administered benzene extract of 250 mg/kg body weight of O. sanctum leaves followed by subsequent recovery maintaining suitable controls for 48 days. Results indicate decrease in the weights of testis, epididymis and seminal vesicles. Other accessory organs were not affected. Total count, cell and nuclei diameters of germ cells and Leydig cells were reduced. Cauda epididymis exhibited significant reduction in epithelial height and nuclei diameter of epithelial cells. Cells showed vacuolization with exhibit of signs of degeneration. Ultra study revealed that, in general, the cauda epididymis was affected and in particular, the principal, clear and basal cells were highly disturbed. Further, there was decrease in the size of lipid droplets, mitochondria, Golgi complex, endoplasmic reticulum and accumulation of lysosomal bodies. Fertility performance test showed no implantation in female rats mated with O. sanctum treated rats. Moreover, their recovery after withdrawal of treatment was observed suggesting that the effect of the treatment is transient and reversible. A recovery period resulted in normal spermatogenesis and fertility, suggesting reversible antispermatogenic and antifertility effects of the plant.

• International Journal of Industrial Entomology and Biomaterials
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• v.25 no.2
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• pp.139-146
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• 2012

Botanicals have been regarded as sustainable solution of pest control because of their nominal effect on nontarget pest, biodegradability and other environment friendly properties. However, study on impact of botanicals against beneficial insects is less. In this investigation effort has been made to study the effect of essential oils of Ocimum sanctum, Ocimum gratissimum and Ageratum conyzoides against non-mulberry silkworm Antheraea assama in terms of percent mortality, total haemocyte count (THC) and phenol oxidase (PO) enzyme activity. After application of essential oil of the plants by contact residual film technique, age dependent decrease of percent mortality was recorded. Topical treatment of oil at higher dosages ($1{\mu}lg^{-1}$ and $0.5{\mu}lg^{-1}$) caused 100% mortality of late instar larvae at 24 hour but the lowest dose ($0.25{\mu}lg^{-1}$) did not cause any mortality till 48 hour of treatment. Initial increase of total haemocyte count (THC) was recorded at early hours of treatment (0.25 hour) at all dosages (1, 0.5, $0.25{\mu}lg^{-1}$) after topical treatment. A dose dependent increase was observed in phenol oxidase enzyme activity and this might indicate ability of the essential oils to cause induction of immune response in Antheraea assama larvae.

• Advances in Traditional Medicine
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• v.4 no.1
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• pp.37-43
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• 2004

The effects of Aegle marmelos (Rutaceae) leaf, Emblica officinalis (Euphorbiaceae) fruit and Ocimum sanctum. (Labiateae) leaf extracts were studied in L-thyroxine (0.5 mg/kg) induced hyperthyroidic mice. Separately combined effects of these three plant extracts and of a commonly used antithyroidic drug, Propyl thiouracil (PTU) were investigated for comparison. Serum concentration of thyroxine $(T_4)$, triiodothyronine $(T_3)$, glucose and the activity of hepatic Glucose 6-Phosphatase (G-6-Pase) were considered as main parameters. Hepatic lipid peroxidation (LPO), superoxide dismutase (SOD) and Catalase (CAT) activities were also studied to reveal the toxic effect of the plant extracts, if any. While exogenous $T_4$ enhanced serum concentration of $T_4$, $T_3$, glucose and the activity of hepatic G-6-Pase, a simultaneous administration of either A. marmelos leaf (1.0 mg/kg), E. officinalis fruit( 30 mg/kg) and O. sanctum leaf (50 mg/kg) extracts, to hyperthyroidic animals decreased all these parameters. However, the effects were more pronounced, as nearly normal thyroid function and serum glucose concentration were exhibited when all three plant extracts were administered together. A decrease in LPO and a concomitant increase in SOD and the CAT activities indicated the safe and antiperoxidative nature of the plant extracts, administered either alone or in combination. Our findings reveal that the three test plant materials exhibit synergistic effects without any hepatotoxicity, suggesting their potential use in the amelioration of hyperthyroidism and/ or hyperglycaemia.

• International Journal of Industrial Entomology and Biomaterials
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• v.13 no.2
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• pp.103-108
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• 2006

Efficacy of aqueous leaf extracts of medicinal plants viz., Eucalyptus globulus, Ocimum sanctum and Piper betle were evaluated against the hatching of eggs, mortality of nymphs and mortality and fecundity of adult mealy bugs (Maconellicoccus hirsutus Green) under in vitro conditions. Totally seven concentrations 1, 5, 10, 20, 50, 70 and 100 percent were tested against mealy bugs. The results revealed that with the increase in the concentration of extracts, there was a corresponding decrease in hatching, nymphal & adult mortality and fecundity in all the extracts tested. The hatching of eggs was minimum at 100 percent concentration in E. globulus (20.00%) followed by O. sanctum (30.42%) and P. betle (36.06%) over control (96.73%). The growth and development of nymphs and adults were adversely affected after the treatment. The nymphs did not attain the adult stage and there was total mortality of nymphs in different treatments. The duration of nymphal stage was reduced by 2-10 days in E. globulus, 1-7 days in O. sanctum and 1-2days P. betle at higher concentrations. However, at lower concentrations it was prolonged by 2-4 days in all the three extracts. At lower concentrations the mortality of adults was on par with the control. Similarly the adult duration was also reduced by 3-4 days at 100 percent concentration and prolonged by 5-6 days at lower concentrations in all the extracts. With the increase in concentrations of the extracts there was decrease in the fecundity of eggs. Thus, the leaf extracts of E. globulus was found to be most effective followed by O. sanctum and P. betle against mealy bugs.

• Journal of Plant Biotechnology
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• v.39 no.3
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• pp.146-153
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• 2012

In this study, the antioxidant property of leaf and callus extracts of five selected in vitro grown Ocimum species (Ocimum sanctum, Ocimum kilimandscharicum, Ocimum gratissimum, Ocimum basilicum, and Ocimum americanum) and their respective callus extracts was investigated. The callus cultures were successfully initiated on Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium supplemented with 2,4-dichlorophenoxy acetic acid (2,4-D) (1mg L) combined with different concentrations (0.1-0.4 mg L) of kinetin as plant growth regulators. Total phenolic contents were estimated using the Folin-Ciocalteu reagent. 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging, ferric reducing antioxidant power, $Fe^{2+}$ chelating activity, and ${\beta}$-carotenelinoleic acid bleaching assays were used to determine the biological effects of the extracts. Interestingly, all the callus extracts exhibited significant (p<0.05) increase in phenolic contents and antioxidant activity. Furthermore, a liner correlation was obtained between the total phenolic contents and free radical scavenging activity ($R^2$ = 0.783). The extracts of leaves and calluses of Ocimum species exhibited activity in all the in vitro antioxidant assays, but its extent was less potent that the positive controls butylated hydroxyl anisole (BHA) and ascorbic acid. A higher accumulation of phenolics in the callus extracts suggests that isolation of high-concentration materials with antioxidant activivity is possible from in vitro callus cultures rather than field-grown plant organs. Furthermore, these extracts may be used as an effective preservative in the food industry.

• Journal of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.56 no.4
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• pp.401-405
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• 2012

Corrosion inhibition efficiencies of holy basil on Al in HCl solution were studied by weight loss and thermometric methods in presence and in absence of stem extract of three different varieties of holy basil viz. ocimum basilicum ($E_B$), ocimum canum ($E_C$) and ocimum sanctum ($E_S$). Inhibition efficiency increases with the increasing concentration of stem extract and decreases with increases in acid strength. Results show that all varieties under study are good corrosion inhibitors, among which, $E_B$ is most effective. Maximum inhibition efficiency was found 97.09% in 0.5N HCl solution with 0.6% stem extract. The Langmuir adsorption isotherm indicates that surface coverage also increases with increasing in the concentration of extract of stem in HCl solution.

• Advances in Traditional Medicine
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• v.4 no.1
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• pp.53-59
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• 2004

The effect of aqueous and alcoholic extract of the leaves of Ocimum. sanctum was studied on the spontaneous movements of the whole worm (w.w) preparation and nerve muscle (n.m.) complex of Setaria cervi (S. cervi) and on the survival of microfilariae (m.f.) in vitro. Both the extracts caused inhibition of the spontaneous motility of the w.w. and n.m. complex of S. cervi characterized by initial stimulation followed by reversible paralysis, aqueous extract at a higher concentration showed immediate effect and irreversible paralysis. The concentration required to inhibit the movements of n.m. complex was $1/4^{th}$ for aqueous and $1/3^{rd}$ for alcoholic extract compared to that for the w.w., suggesting a cuticular permeability barrier. On the m.f. the lethal concentration (LC 50 and LC 90) were 35 and 50 ng/ml for aqueous whereas, 60 and 85 ng/ml for alcoholic extracts respectively.